


Better than You

by Kaunis_Sielu



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-15 00:20:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13019292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaunis_Sielu/pseuds/Kaunis_Sielu
Summary: When the team is kidnapped by a terrorist it's up to Gibbs to save the team.





	1. Chapter 1

None of you saw it coming. All it took was a false tip and a sealed chloroform filled room and you were all in trouble. You wake slowly. Your arms are bound behind you and you’re slumped on a bench against a wall. The room is cold and you’re only in your jeans and t-shirt. Someone is next to you. Not Ziva, they’re too broad it’s one of the boys. You breathe evenly through your nose, it’s not Tony, you’d be able to smell his cologne from here. You don’t want to open your eyes yet, the men talking on the far side of the room don’t need to know you’re alive. They’re speaking some strange dialect, Somalian maybe. You breathe in again and catch just a hint of it. Wood. You’re leaned up against Gibbs. At least you know he’s alive. His warmth is very much appreciated in the chilly room.   
“Squid?” He breathes and you move your head an inch so he knows you’re awake. “You okay?” You nod a fraction. “Stay there, just listen to him.” You don’t know where the rest of the team is but knowing you’re not alone is a relief, know that Gibbs is here is extremely comforting. The talking stops and you hear the even footsteps of someone coming closer.   
“Hello Agent Gibbs. My name is Asad.” Definitely Somalian, judging by the accent at least. “I have been admiring you for a while now and thought since you have been chasing me and my followers that we could play a little game.”  
“What kind of game?” Gibbs asks sounding unamused.   
“It’s simple Agent Gibbs.” Asad continues, “A game of chess. Your team, versus mine. This one here, this Sydney or Squid as you call her is your Queen. No?” Gibbs doesn’t respond so Asad keeps talking, “Ziva David is one of your Knights, Anthony DiNozzo a Rook and Timothy McGee is a Bishop. You of course are the King.”  
“If you’re playing me shouldn’t I be the Queen? That is the most powerful piece on the board.”  
“Ah, but she, your little Squid, is your biggest weakness. Therefore, the most powerful piece on the board.”   
“What about you?” Gibbs challenges, “Who are your players?”  
“Victor is my King, Nizar my Knight, Maan is a Bishop and Anas my Rook.”  
“Let me guess. You’re the Queen.”  
“Very good Agent Gibbs.” Asad sounds pleased, he seems to think he’s found a worthy opponent but you don’t even know if Gibbs knows how to play chess. You haven’t moved next to him, your head still resting on his shoulder.   
“What happens if I win?”  
“You and your team go free.”  
“And if I lose?”   
“For each of your pieces that you lose, I will kill each member of your team.”   
“So if I lose any of my Knights you’ll kill Ziva?”  
“No no no. Just the piece that represents Ziva.”  
“Doesn’t seem fair.” Gibbs growls, “If you win you get to murder me and my entire team but if I win we go free and you go free?”  
“I could just kill you now.” Asad says and you hear the sound of a gun cock. You stiffen next to Gibbs as you wait for the bullet to exit the chamber. “But where would the fun be in that?” You feel Gibbs shift next to you, and can practically feel the anger rolling off of him. “So Agent Gibbs. Shall we play?”


	2. Chapter 2

“Fine. Let’s play.” Gibbs growls. He’s so stiff and angry that you’re surprised that he could even get out the words.   
“Let’s wake your Queen first so she can join in on the fun.” Asad says sounding pleased.   
“Don’t touch her.” Gibbs snaps, his order is completely ignored as someone grabs your arm and pulls you forward. A sharp smell is placed under your nose and you cough as your eyes fly open.   
“Ah, welcome to the party Your Highness.” Asad says with a smirk, you stare at him then look down at the chessboard.   
“You okay?” Gibbs whispers and you nod. Your head is pounding, and your ankle is throbbing but really other than that you’re okay.   
“So Queen Squid, do you trust your boss, your Jethro, to keep you and your team alive?”  
“Yes. Of course.” You answer simply, trying to act like you don’t know, like you’ve been unconscious.   
“Even in a game of wits where your life hangs in the balance.”  
“My answer doesn’t change.”   
“She has a lot of faith in you Jethro.” You hate how his name sounds rolling off Asad’s tongue. Like it’s some sort of joke. “Alright little Squid. Your boss is going to be playing for your lives. Each of you is a piece,” he gestures to the board and you see names written on all the pieces. “You are going to tell the rest of your team what is happening.” He wants you to walk?  
“I can’t.”  
“Excuse me.” He sneers pulling his gun.   
“I can’t walk. My ankle is-”  
“I don’t care.” He snaps pointing his gun at you, “Get up.” You do as he orders and make your way toward the door he’s gestured to. You’re clenching your jaw, you won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how much you were in pain. You limp your way to the door breathing deeply so you don’t pass out or throw up. You stumble through it and are thankful to find the rest of the team. They’re tied up but alive and conscious.   
“You escaped!” McGee says sounding thrilled, at least until two of Asad’s men follow you into the room.   
“I wish.” You sigh before telling them what’s going on.


	3. Chapter 3

After explaining what’s going on to the team you’re dragged back to Gibbs. You’re not in much of a condition to fight back as they drop you on the bench next to Gibbs you grimace.   
“Are they okay?”   
“Ziva’s pissed but yea. They’re all alive.” Gibbs gives you that little half smile you adore and for a second you think you all might make it out of this okay.  
“Are you okay?” He’s noticed the slight tremor of your body, it’s mostly from the pain of walking on your injured ankle. It’s also freezing in this room, and Gibbs’ body heat is welcome.   
“Fine. Just please tell me you know how to play chess.” You mutter and he chuckles lowly.   
“I do.”   
“Alright Agent Gibbs. Now that you know your team is alive shall we play?”  
“Let’s play.” Gibbs growls as you lean into him. You’re thankful that he knows how to play chess because you certainly don’t. You’re not even 100% sure of all the names of all the pieces. You know that there’s a pawn, knight, bishop, king and queen but you don’t know all of the rules. You don’t know which pieces go where or where they can move but that some can only move in specific directions. You know that the queen is the one that can win or loose you the game and you know that chess is a long game, something that you’re not looking forward to. You want to get the hell out of here. To be home, safe with your team all out of danger.   
You’ve got faith in Gibbs though, you know he’s going to be able to get you all out of this. Hopefully Abby will find you before then but if she doesn’t you know the team will go down fighting.   
The game seems to be pretty evenly matched, not that you really get what’s going on but when Gibbs takes one of his men on the chessboard Asad points his gun at the man.   
“Wait!” You cry hoping to stop him from pulling the trigger.   
“What?” He sneers.   
“How about instead of killing your men you let Gibbs remove one of us off of the board.” Asad seems to think this over for a minute before a slow smile crosses his face.   
“Interesting idea queen Squid. What do you think Agent Gibbs?” Gibbs looks down at you and searches your face for a second before nodding his agreement. “Very well. Which of your agents would you like to remove off of the board?”  
“Ziva.” You blurt before he can answer. “We want Ziva off.” If anyone can fight their way out of here it’s her, if she hasn’t already.   
“Very well. Ziva is off.”  
“Squid?” Gibbs mutters into your ear, “why did you do that?”  
“Do the rest of the team, and you first. I’m the queen. If you loose that you’ve lost and I’m going to die anyway.” You whisper, those crystal blue eyes search your face before he turns back to Asad.   
“Your move Asad.”


	4. Chapter 4

Asad sends you to tell McGee, Tony and Ziva that Ziva is off the board. You make it there and back on your busted ankle but when you get back you pass out against Gibbs. When you come to Gibbs has saved McGee too. Either Asad is way worse at chess than he thinks or Gibbs is really good. Or, he’s lulling you into a false sense of security before he kills you all.   
But you don’t want to think about that.   
Instead you focus on not vomiting. Taking slow, deep breaths you attempt to understand the chess game being played in front of you but the pain you’re in is so distracting.   
The pieces are swimming as Gibbs starts to loose a few of them and you’re getting anxious. He narrowly saves DiNozzo twice and himself once as the pieces get fewer and fewer.   
“Hold on Squid.” He mutters into your ear before pressing a kiss to your temple. You whimper softly, your head throbbing and you know that if Asad makes you walk again you won’t make it. Sure enough Gibbs takes Asad’s second to last piece, the only pieces with names on them he has left are the king and the queen.   
“Go tell them that DiNozzo is safe.” Asad orders.   
“Can’t you see she can’t?” Gibbs snaps.   
“She will.” Asad sneers leveling his gun at you. You struggle to your feet then crumble to the floor. You’re shaking so hard that you’re not sure if you’ll be able to move. “Go!” Asad screams and you start to drag yourself across the floor. Gibbs didn’t call you Squid for nothing. You were a military woman, a diver in the navy who wasn’t going down without a fight. You get to the door before you loose consciousness. Just before you do you swear the door bursts open.  
You’re on something soft. A gentle beeping is coming from somewhere to your left. Your right ankle is being held up by some sort of strap and it’s strange but you can’t really feel it.   
You force your heavy eyelids open and relief courses through you. You’re in a hospital room. There’s movement from your right side and you let out a startled gasp as you look over.   
“It’s okay Squid. It’s me.” Gibbs’ soft voice says and you reach your hand toward his voice. He slides his fingers between yours and you hum happily as his face comes into view.  
“What happened?” You ask your voice hoarse.   
“Marines. Abby found us.”  
“Thank god for Abby. Is everyone okay?”  
“Tony was dehydrated and Ziva had been hit a few times and needed stitches but everyone is fine.” He gives your hand a gentle squeeze, “You had me worried Squid.”  
“What did they do?”  
“Who?”  
“The doctors.”   
“They had to operate on your ankle, it was pretty busted up from Asad making you walk on it.”  
“Is he-?”  
“Dead.” Gibbs confirms and you let out a breath of relief you didn’t know you’d know you’d been holding.   
“I’m glad you’re okay too Gibbs.” You tell him.   
“Me? You were the one that we were worried about.”  
“I may not be a Marine but I’m still pretty tough.”  
“Don’t I know it.” Gibbs agrees before rubbing his face. That’s when you realize that he’s still in the same clothes from when you’d been taken.   
“Gibbs, did you go home?” He doesn’t have to answer you, his blue eyes betray him. “Gibbs.” You sigh chastising him softly.   
“I didn’t want to leave you.”   
“Gibbs.” You sigh again and he chuckles softly. “You need to take care of yourself. I can’t be worrying about you.” He stands then presses a kiss to your lips.   
“You. Are incredible.” He whispers and you stare up at him. He leans toward you again but before his lips touch yours there’s a knock on the door. You groan softly and he laughs softly. “Don’t worry Squid. We’ve got plenty of time.”


End file.
